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Planned obsolescence

All manufacturers do it, they build EVERYTHING to fail within 2-5 years (electronics).
This is why you only ever get a 1 years guarantee, unless you buy the 3 year extended warranty (more expense). Why would a company build a TV like they did in the 60’s that was built to last, then you never replace it.

Example:10 million people buy a TV, it is built to last = 10 million sales in 60 years
Build them to fail within 5 years and the average person will buy around 8 in their lifetimes
10 million people buy a TV, it fails in 5 years = 80 million sales in 60 years

Same with mobile phones, they are at the point now where they have enough cpu/ram and storage but now, every 18 -24 months the plebs upgrade them to the iPhone 6000 because it has 3 more pixels.
They have the technology to create batteries that could last for weeks, but no, they package them with shit lithium-ion batteries that last (you’ve guessed it) about 18-24 months, just in time for contract renewal.

TV is the same, it was once analogue, all you needed was a cathode ray tube, an aerial and a tuner in the TV. In the last 20 years we have had LCD screens, digital TV, (requiring either new set-top box or TV with digital tuner, then HD, new set-top box or TV with HD tuner, now we are going to 4K (you guessed it, more hardware upgrades needed) then will be 8K, 16K etc etc

24 thoughts on “Planned obsolescence”

Gillette have been at it for decades too with razors – the original Mach 3 was a pretty good razor that did the job, but the twin blade one before it was also fine. Now they’re on to the fucking Mach 6000 nitro fusion vibrating lube blade, blah… It’s all just made for people always in a rush. (If there’s one good thing the hipsters have done for the world then it’s putting a dent in the profits of these twats).
These days I use a double-edge safety razor and just spend 5-10 minutes over it – you can get 100 blades for a under tenner which could last you up to 2 years even if you shave every day!

As for electronics – good cunting. These companies will never tell you the life expentancy of their products (which they DO know because that’s one the factors in choosing the materials and component quality) and will definitely never gaurantee them for it unless you fork out more money. Extended warranties are a sham – unless of course you ‘plan’ on using them…
But it’s also not helped by the throw away society (due to nothing more than easy access to credit) that constantly demands new shiny things and the morons who literally camp outside shops waiting for the next twatPhone to go on sale (how much computing power do you need to look at Twatbook?
Very clever, and cynical, business model marketing by Apple and the like.

Spot on, mate. The cartridges are just ridiculously expensive and each ‘new’ generation of cartridge won’t fit the previous generation handle. Then over time, the old generation of cartridge is phased out. A deliberate con if you ask me. This eventually drove me to switch to using safety razors. Like you say, a couple of dozen of those can last a whole year. I’ll admit, my first shave with a safety razor was terrifying. I thought I’d cut my own face off. Plenty of nicks for the first several shaves as you re-learn how to wet shave, but guys it’s totally worth it. A good close inexpensive shave with the added benefit of giving an ‘up yours’ to the cartridge manufacturers.

As for Apple, I refuse to have any Apple products in my house. Cunting company making shite for mindless twats. In my opinion.

Good point about razors, many years ago I used Gilette, I think at the time they were like £6 for 5 blades, fucking rip-off, you got about 4 shaves per blade at a push = 30p a shave. (excluding shaving foam)
I then changed to disposables, 5 for £1, they were good for two shaves at a push per blade = 10p a shave. (excluding shaving foam)

Huge difference between knowing we are enslaved via out birth certificates (I prompt you to produce evidence to discount this) & claiming the Lee Rigby murder was all crisis actors!
Don’t ever compare me with Chris Spivey, but fell free to cunt me and troll me all you like 🙂

Such obsolescence prompted me, years ago, to assemble Ho fi systems from reputable British makers if the 1970s onwards.
They sound great, cost a fraction of the original selling price and can be easily serviced with pretty standard components. Had a Quad power amp which blew a gasket and my local electronics chap was dead chuffed to have ‘something to repair which made life worth living’. He told me most of the stuff these days is tooled and assembled in such a manner, and with generally bespoke components that you can’t repair anyway.
Speakers? 1980 Castle Pembrokes, 95 squid from ebay with original Castle stands and they trounce anything else I’ve ever had from new, proper veneer and immaculate joins on the edges ( notice these days how edges are nearly always rounded off to avoid having to bother proper cabinet skills).
Turntable – 1980 Michell Focus, beautifully made. As good as anything modern and Michell will still repair them.
Vintage is still worth it, pity some cunts just buy it for aesthetics rather than function.
Electronics are now obsolete before they hit the shelves, the manufacturers already have the next model on the production line.
Excellent cunting, apologies for nostalgia fest here but I love old stuff. It works, lasts and can be repaired.

Like many on this site -I suspect- I was brought up in a ‘mend and make do’ environment. I have a small mountain of faulty doo-dahs that just need a coat of looking at and I’ll get round to fixing them one day; I think we all know how that’ll pan out. I just can’t bring myself to throw them out.

Good move Aesebiscuit. I recently bought an old Bush valve radio complete with workshop manual to go with my box of spare valves so I can service it with my kit built multimeter and a thirty year old – user serviceable- oscilloscope; bit of inductive coupling from a portable cd player and Bob’s yer Dad’s brother a 1950s media centre.

I think the best you can do are those aftermarket kits with multiple adaptors.
Apple are fucking sneaky though – the missus has an iphone and it often won’t work with an unofficial charger (for £10)… you have to buy their official branded £30 one instead… cel fucking suprise…

Great stuff – don’t go and electrocunt yourself, some of this stuff has monumental voltages going through it. I bought up a good reel of lead solder a couple of years ago, fucking brilliant stuff, much better to work with than that modern EU shit.

iPhone 7 out soon..Or even now. Why? so Apple can continue to make profit of course. No shame in that, we all need some wedge. Just can’t believe the gullible muppets that just have to have the very latest shiny widget so they can wave it at their friends and do a bit of one upmanship. Oh and while we’re at it that Sajid Javid is a shiny suited cunt. Saw him on the tube (London underground not the 80’s music show hosted by Yates and Holland) and he is one well groomed, sharp dressed, shiny suit wearing cunt.

Bugger finding needles for me wind up gramophone. Tried nails and darning needles ect but all fuck up me 78s. Sharpening up the old needles is better but not much.

Me butler does the rounds orf the charity shops (finds a good class orf bum there apparently) looking for cheap computer gizmos that will work with his Windows XP. Scanners, printers and the like. Lots aroind at the moment.

Got one of those as well, can’t beat the crackly sound of some shellac.
Needles are easy to find old chap, one can get a bag of 100 cheap on eBay. They even come indifferent hardnesses to play your treasures louder or softer. Clever technology LS eh? Get the butler to snaffle a bag next time he’s in the hurdy gurdy tinterweb thingy searching for some new white gloves. Pip pip!

Don’t take the piss chummy. I was downloading porn long before you had your first wank you acne cocked cunt. You try wanking while Madam Horsewhip is still downloading orn dialup. Heroic days me friend.
No me problem is not internet literacy, it is all the fucking S&M perverts in me neck orf the woods buying up all the gramophone needles from me usual stockists and studding their scrotums with the bastards.
A chap has to watch where he puts his hands.

I remember the day we had our first colour tv back in 1973. A big wooden hitachi fucker. It lasted til 1995. I’m amazed now that our current tv has lasted us six years, cos the previous few lasted two to three years max, and repairs would be more than the cost of a new bastard. Perhaps it’s because I watch it a lot less these days because of the shite that gets broadcast.

Had a huge Bush (cheap gag I know but before the name got bought up and plastered orn any piece orf cheapjack crap) and I well remember the groin strain the under butler developed trying to move it. Lovely sound. Roind the beck it had an ominious “Danger Radiation” sticker and used to get really hot. Happy days.
Kept going no matter what. Think it had a valve or three replaced over the years but what let it doin in the end was the picture. Had to have the picture realigned every so orften but then the screen or rather the phosphors coating the screen started to fade. Had to whack the colours up (3 primaries all controlled separately plus brightness and contrast, endless fun) full just to get a ghost orf a picture in the end.
Still got the cabinet, very nice tambour doors. Keep me single malt in it now.

The mention of TV’s is especially poignant , my dad used to mend TV’ when people really used to repair things, not just replace things with other pieces of crap. So I remember the tellies he brought home trying to figure out exactly where the dry solder joint was. My mum used to moan about the tellies on the dining room table.

It sort of broke his heart when a skilled problem solving job was replaced by some twat who could take out a couple of screws and plop something else in

I still have our old family 24″ CRT TV in my shed, it has a corded remote control and still works perfectly even though it is now 40 years old, add a set-top box and it would work perfectly, i use it to watch my old vhs collection of porn in the shed when Mrs Boaby is on the blob 🙂

Putting ecu’s and multiple sensors on cars fucked my life up, I have a friendly garage that will let me plug their reader into my car (4 cans of beer).
Ever seen the data they kick out? Cab control data ,door open, (obviously how am I going to plug the reader in ) heater on, (yep its cold) now drive chain or engine menu..